Forever
by Icepen
Summary: James and Lily mark the beginig of their time together. Songfic.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Or Kenny Chesney. But I can dream, can't I?

* * *

Lily Evans was exhausted as she pushed on through her four foot long Ancient Runes essay. Her books were strewn all over the table in a way that would only make sense to the owner. She had a bit of black ink splashed on her cheek and the dim fire light from behind her made her auburn hair look like a perfect halo. It was nearly four AM, but her posture was still ramrod straight and her handwriting was still perfectly tiny and still going in straight lines.

I was sitting on the top of the staircase to the boys' dormitories, giving myself a mental pep talk, and watching Lily in an impressed (but not stalkerish) way. Well, it was now or never. I squared my shoulders, picked up my guitar and made my way down the stairs. They seemed to have expanded in the past few minutes and the descent to my doom (or destiny) seemed to take an eon. Thankfully, Lily's essay was demanding all her attention and she paid no heed to me.

Praying to any god listening that my guitar was in tune, I started playing the song Sirius and I had figured out how to play during breaks. Lily looked up and turned to face me. I felt a blush creep up on my face.

I took a deep breath and started singing softly, as not to wake the others in the Gryffindor tower.

_"Big, orange ball, sinkin in the water_

_Toes in the sand, couldn't get much hotter_

_Little umbrella-shaded margaritas_

_Coconut oil tannin' senoritas_

_Oh now I know how Jimmy Buffet feels_

_Hands on the wheel, cruisin' down the interstate_

_Gas pedal sticks, carries my car away_

_I was goin' as fast as a rambler goes_

_I could feel the speed from my head to my toes_

_Oh now I know how Richard Petty feels_

_I've been around the block a time or two_

_Done almost everything a boy can do_

_I've done some livin', yeah, I've had fun_

_But there is one thing I haven't done_

_Saved 2 months, bought a little diamond_

_Tonight's the night, feels like perfect timin'_

_Down on one knee on momma's front steps_

_Man, I'm gonna die if she really says yes_

_I wanna know how forever feels  
I've been around the block a time or two_

_Done almost everything a boy can do_

_I've done some livin', yeah, I've had fun_

_But there is one thing I haven't done_

_I wanna know how forever feels_

_Hey I wanna know how forever feels_

_Girl I wanna know how forever feels" _

I finished the song with a flourish and took a bow. Lily gave me a sleepy half smile. Then in one smooth motion, I put my guitar on the floor, got down on one knee, and pulled out a ring. "I want to know how forever feels. Lily Evans, will you marry me?" I asked a dumbfounded Lily.

"What?" Was the only reply that Lily's sleep deprived brain could manage.

"Will you-"I started again a whole lot slower.

"Oh I know what you said but…"

Oh crap. My life was over. She was going to reject me. I just knew it. I could feel it in my gut.

"…You do realize that we're only seventeen, right?" Lily asked. Oh. Well. Huh. Please  
ignore my nervous rambling above.

"That's old enough to know what we want," I replied smoothly. Merlin, I hope this works.

"And we are still at Hogwarts?" She pressed on.

"Exactly. Who knows what's out there? With the war and all, who knows if we'll last longer than a minute? The point is, Lily, I love you and I couldn't bear to live- or die without knowing that you loved me," Wow, I even impressed myself with this little speech.

Even Lily's arrow-straight logic falters. Lily Evans, who had spent majority of her life trying to find fault in me, was running out of problems. If I wasn't so nervous at the moment, I would have congratulated myself.

"Alright then," Lily said smiling and holding out her left hand for me to put the ring on. "But my dad's going to kill you."

* * *

A/N: So how did you like it? It was really fun to write, and I hope equally as fun to read! For those of you waiting for my other story, please stop shouting and hear me out. I had writer's block, and I'm a terrible typist. So put those together and you get slow updates. Sorry! 


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Ok so I wasn't originally planning on writing this, but I was asked to nicely and I really liked the thought. I hope you like it. _

_Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, I don't own, so please don't sue._

* * *

"Come on James, it'll be alright!" Lily exclaimed. I was (understandably) worried about meeting Lily's family and it was starting to wear down her (never-deep) well of patience.

A month had passed since we had gotten engaged in the common room at four a.m. My mates and I were on the Hogwarts Express for the last time, coming home.

"You said your dad was going to kill me!" I argued. I didn't know about her, but I most definitely didn't want to die just yet.

"Sirius, make him shut up," Lily whined. Sirius gladly shoved a cauldron cake into my mouth.

"Now, get up, gather your things, and get those crumbs off your face. We're going to be there in five minutes," she said authoritatively. There was a great scrambling noise as we began dusting themselves off and gathering their trunks.

The train lurched and slowed to a stop in front of platform nine and three-quarters. All of us seventh years lingered behind for a few moments trying to memorize every corridor, compartment, and light fixture. We all walked off a little sadly, not wanting to leave.

"We should just apparate from here," Lily said.

"Yeah we should," I agreed. We called our goodbyes and apparated away.

We appeared in front of a comfortable muggle house. Lily rang the bell brightly and a plump, blonde woman answered.

"Lily!" she exclaimed. "And you must be James. I've heard so much about you." She ushered them into the house.

It was a comfortable looking place. It was a house that was seen commonly in the suburbs. It was quiet and airy with light colored furniture, and polished hardwood floors. The effect was very inviting. Everything had a place, and everything was in its place. Suddenly, Lily's almost non-existent organization habits didn't make sense.

"Your father is still out; he'll be here in about ten minutes. Until then, would you care for some tea?" She asked.

"Yes please, if it isn't too much trouble," I said not missing a beat. I had grown up in wizarding aristocracy, and my mother had drilled manners into me at a very young age.

Mrs. Evans beamed and went into the kitchen. Lily raised a questioning eyebrow at me. I grinned and said, "My mum's idea of a pastime. 'Oh why don't I teach James here some manners in my spare time? It will be great fun. '"Lily must have found his imitation amusing, because he didn't get told off for it.

Mrs. Evans came in carrying a tray with some snacks. "Here, drink up. You must be hungry after the train ride."

I smiled and took the tea cup graciously. "Thank you ma'am," I said.

"Oh, Dafodilly, he's a keeper." Mrs. Evans winked at her daughter. "It is so hard to find a polite young man these days. Do you remember Petunia's first boyfriend? Oh my, was he rude!"

Lily giggled at the memory. I recalled Lily telling me the story. Her father had lectured the poor boy about manners for at least an hour before demanding that the two of them break up at once. I was just hoping that didn't happen to me today.

"So, tell me how did your school year go? I mean, other than getting engaged, of course." She added cheekily. Lily blushed magnificently. Even I who was never one for blushing turned pink.

"The NEWTs weren't as hard as I thought they would be," Lily confessed "even though the amount of homework was preposterous. I'm pretty sure I missed few on the written exam for Arithmancy, and Alice managed to pass Potions."

"Don't worry so much about that Arithmancy test. I'm sure you did fine," her mother reassured kindly. Just then the doorbell rang. "Oh it must be your father, I'll be right back."

I looked over at the door curiously. Lily's father was not the kind, gentle, calm looking person I had been hoping he would be. He stood a good six inches over my own towering height of six feet and was considerably more muscular than the average professional beater. He wore a "Go Army" shirt and his hair gray hair was cut short, which just added to the picture of intimidation that the scene was creating.

"Dad!" Lily exclaimed, getting up to hug him.

"Lily-flower," he said, smiling and kissing the top of her head. "How have you been?"

"Great," Lily responded brightly. I gave what I hoped was a winning smile when Mr. Evans looked at him. (Lily later informed me it looked more like a grimace.)

"Who is that young man, Lily?" He asked at once.

"Dad this is James. James Potter. James, this is my dad." Lily introduced, coming over to stand next to him.

"P-pleasure to meet you, sir," I said trying (and failing miserably) to keep the waver out of my voice.

Mr. Evans grunted noncommittally and shook my hand. His strong grip nearly crushed all the bones in my hand. I gulped.

"Well, you all must be hungry, what about some dinner?" Mrs. Evans intervened. I felt relief coursing through my veins as I nodded. "Come on, then.

Mrs. Evans led them to the dining room, and served up a wonderful smelling dinner. I sat next to Lily for the comfort of her presence. (That and she actually knew what she was doing.)

"This chicken is amazing, Mrs. Evans," I said, enthusiastically digging in, managing to make myself look like a little kid on Christmas morning. Lily grinned, rolled her eyes, and went on daintily eating her meal.

"Thank you, James," Her mother said smiling at the young couple.

We exchanged pleasantries all throughout dinner, talking about nothing more significant than NEWTs.

* * *

"So, do you play any sports?" Mr. Evans asked after dinner was cleaned up and the dishes done. The older man was pacing around the table menacingly. Lily had gone off somewhere to "powder her nose," and her mother was loading a "wash-disher."

"Yes sir, I play Quidditch," I said, trying to sound confident, but not arrogant.

"What position?" he demanded.

"Chaser," I responded brightening up. I could talk Quidditch for weeks on end and have information left over. I had managed to memorize all seven hundred ways to commit a foul!

"Are you any good?" Mr. Evans demanded

"I was captain of the Gryffindor team this year," I said cautiously. What was this, an interrogation?

"What about your marks?" he demanded.

"I was Head Boy this year." Mr. Evans nodded approvingly.

"And she was Head Girl?" He asked.

"Yes," I said, drawing the word out suspiciously.

"Did you two get along?" He demanded.

"Much better than the years before, actually," I said truthfully, reckoning that telling the truth was my best (and only) option at the moment.

"What do you mean?" He barked.

I thought about how to phrase my response. "Well," I began carefully. "We weren't exactly best friends from the start. We had more than our fair share of spats. But we got over them this year. I suppose I became more mature, and she," I had been about to say 'she became less swotty,' but felt that that would go over as well as a ton of bricks. "Well, she loosened up about the rules."

Mr. Evans didn't look impressed. In fact, it was impossible to decipher the expression on his face.

"And why do you like her?" I was highly offended.

"Like her?" I sounded hysterical. It bothered me when people claimed that I 'liked' Lily Evans. 'Liked;' like one of the many flings Sirius had with most of the girls at Hogwarts. "I'm in love mate!" I had a strange sense of déjà vu as I remembered having a similar conversation with Sirius in fifth year.

"I see," Mr. Evans soothed. "And pray tell why you are in love with my daughter."

I thought about this for a minute. I had known that I was in love for a while, but hadn't actually figured out why.

"Well, it's like the whole world is a brighter place when she's around." I began quietly. I figured I'd just say what came to my mind and hope for the best. "When she smiles, well, it's more magical than… than the first time you see Hogwarts as little tiny first years. And when she looks at me and smiles, it does things to me, you know? Like a stomach flip floppy thing, and a jelly leg thing and I can't concentrate on anything except her. Of course my friends think I'm crazy and I almost fell down the stairs to the Astronomy Tower when she walked by, but I don't mind, because she's worth it, you know?"

Mr. Evans looked stunned for a second, but quickly composed himself. "You know what, James Potter? You're a good man. And I like you. So do not hurt Lily, because I would hate to have to hurt you, understand?"

I nodded solemnly, half relieved that I'd passed his "inspection" and half glad that I made it out of this in one piece.

"And by the way," he added after a bit, "stomach floppy thing?"

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_A/N: Wow. So I had much more fun with this than I thought I would and I really hope that you had as much fun reading it! Now, the only thing left for you to do is type in a little bitty comment and press the review button! _

_-Ice _


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